Pneumatic vehicle-spring.



T. D. QUIGLEY.

PNEUMATIC VEHICLE SPRING.

APPLICATION FILED APR..11, 1910.

1,029,945. Patented June 18, 1912.

m run sra'rns Parana onnion.

THDMAS D. oUIGL-E'Y, or SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA. PNEUMATIC VEHICLE-SPRING.

1,029,945. Specification f Letters n Patented June 18, 1912.

Application filed April 11, 1910. Serial No. 554,783. Y

To aZZaclrom t may concern: nection with the conducting pipes 14:. I 1 Belt known that I, THOMAS D. QUIGLEY, preferably support these cylindrical cusha cit zen of the United States, residing in ions upon convex bearings 15, which provide the city and county. of San Francisco and a very suitable'support between which the 60 5 State of California,.have invented new and cylinders are compressed and expand by the useful Improvements in Pneumatic Vehivarying pressures brought-upon them by the ole-Spr ngs, of which the following is .a stresses caused by the movement of the vespecification. hicle;

- y invention relates toimprovements in The pipes 14 all connect to a common 65 the mounting of vehicles, such as automomeeting point, and are so coupled that upon biles, upon the bearing-wheels so as to prothe compression of either one of the cushvide elastic cushioning means between the ions, the air in the said cushion will be parbody of the vehicle and the running-gear. tially expelled, and traversing the connect- It consists in a combination of pneumatic ing pipes 14, will be distributed into the 1'0 16 cushions located contiguous to the wheels other cushions which may not at that in 7 of the vehicle and so connected that all the stunt be under special compression, and in cushions coact with each other. the same manner all of the cushions will, It also comprises details of construction p n sp c al compression, drive the air temwhich will be more fully explained by refporarl-ly into the pipes, and into either of 75 20 erence t0 the accompanying drawings, in the other cushions which at the time is under whicl1- I least compression. Thus the springs upon Figure 1 is a rear end view. Fig. 2 a one end of the vehicle, or upon one angle frontview. Fig. 3 a side elevation, partly thereof, may be subject to a considerable in section. Fig. 4: a plan view of the eushcompression by re ason of the wheel at that 80 ions and connections. Fig.,5 a perspective point dropping into a depression in the and partial section of one of the cushions. road, while the spring at the other end may Various combinations, including indebe temporarily rising, and the air will then pendent air cushions, have been employed pass from the spring which is being conifor the'purpose of relieving the shocks to pressed, into the ones which are subject to 85 vehicles due to rapid travel over the ground. the less compression. 6,- is another cushion In my invention I have so connected it which is located at some convenient point series of cushions that the air is freely movintermediate of the cushions 8, and is conable from one to another so thatthe cushions nected with the conduits is by the pipe as coact to produce an improved result. at 17, and provided with a controlling cook 90 As shown in the drawings, A are the veat 18. This-intermediate cushion may serve, hicle wheels, here shown of an automobile. first as a common source of supply through 2 is the frame or chassis of the vehicle, which the cushions 8, may all be inflated, which is here shown as directly mounted and any suitable air' pressure introduced upon springs 3, which springs'are connect-ed into thecushions. In the same manner, if 95 40 with spring-hangers 4 by links 5. These the cock 18 remains open, it will be seen that spring-hangers extend upwardlyfroin the the cush1on-l6 will act as an equalizer for ends of transverse bars 6, which bars rest the air which may be temporarily forced upon plates 7 and these plates are support from either of the cushions by road shocks ed in turn upon pneumatic cushions 8. as above stated. It will be seen that by the 100 These cushions are preferably made cylincombination of-the elastic cushions S, and drical in form, and they consist of an inner the flexible steel springs 3, a joint co -action flexible and impermeable member 9, and an will result which produces an exceedingly exterior flexible casing which is substaneasy riding vehicle. tial-ly inelastic'and resistant to extension I In order to insure the proper vertlcal 195 have shown these parts as being cylindrical, movement f th b d d revent transand the outer casing may be laced together verse movements I have shown sufficiently as at 11, after the inner member has been rigid standards 20 fixed to plates which are introduced. The rear ends of these'members clipped to the wheel axles 21, 'and these maybe hemispherical, as zit-12, and the front standards extend through openings 1n the* end conical, and having a tubular extension plates 7, sothat these plates may slide ver- 13 from the apex of the cone, to form c'ontically upon the standards, and the ,yleldmg.

motion will be substantially confined to a vertical one.

The cushion 16 lies between a horizontal plate 19 supported from the vehicle body, and a plate 20 slidable upon vertical rods 21, and normally pressed upward by spiral springs 22, the lower ends of which are supported by nuts 28 upon the rods 21.

The action will then be as follows: The cushions are inflated by means of any suitable air-forcing apparatus connected with some connecting tube until, when loaded, they assume the form of a flattened oval, the relief cushion 16 being maintained in this form by the springs 22. \Vhenever by the irregularities of the road surface any one or more of the cushions 8 aretemporarily compressed, the air will be forced out through the connecting pipes 14: to the un compressed cushions aud to the intermediate one 1.6, and the air entering this cushion tends to expand it against the tension of the springs 22, which Wlll thus be temporarily compressed, and

i my hand in the presence of will immediately expand A again when pressure wit iin the cushion is relieved. This combination produces a VGLy' sensitive spring system.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire-to secure by Letters Pat cut is- A pneumatic cushion spring for vehicles, including flexible air-containing cylinders supported upon the front and rear axles, valve cont-rolled connections between" said cylinders, an intermediate flexible air-con tainiug cushion cylinder with which the pipes. are also connected, plates between which said cushion is supported, guide rods upon which one plate is movable, and springs acting upon said plate to normally compress the cushion.

In testimony whereof I have hereui'itc set two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS'D. QUIGLEY. lVitnesses:

RAYiIoND LEONARD, Jenn T. Q'UIGLEY. 

